Father Knows Best
by TemptingFate
Summary: Jess's father returns and wants Jess to move in with him. Will Rory decide she does have true feelings for Jess or is Dean really the guy for her? And where does Luke fit into all of this?
1. Unexpected Arrival

Title: Father Knows Best Disclaimer: Don't own GG or anything associated with it. A/N-This story starts pre-Dance Marathon, so Rory and Dean are still together. And Jess is still with Shane. The idea for this story came to me, because of all the talk about Jess getting his own spin-off. Not too sure how I feel about that, because I finally get Rory and Jess, and he's gonna leave. Anyway.on to the story. Please R/R!  
  
-Chapter 1-  
  
"I watched two hours of Battle Bots with you." Rory argued, entering the small diner with her boyfriend.  
  
Dean shook his head. "You were still paying your debt from when I took you to your coming out thing. I had to wear gloves, remember?"  
  
Rory refused to lose this battle. "I remember. Most boyfriends wouldn't have to be bribed into escorting their girlfriends on such a special occasion, though."  
  
"You made the deal, you can't back out now. It's not like I'm asking you to cut off your arm or something."  
  
"Isn't dating you practically the same thing?" Dean's head jerked up at the sound of Jess's voice.  
  
"This is a private conversation between me and my girlfriend, so mind your own business." Dean snapped.  
  
Jess shrugged. "I'm just doing my job." He pulled the pencil from behind his ear. "I was only coming to take your order. But if you don't want to eat." He let his voice trail off.  
  
"We want to eat." Rory said quickly. "You know me, I'm always hungry."  
  
Jess smiled slightly. "You could eat for twelve."  
  
Rory suddenly found herself remembering something from months ago, when Jess had brought her over food saying it was from Luke. Stifling a grin of her own, she feigned anger. "Only six." She declared, causing his smile to widen.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Dean asked, confused.  
  
"You miss a lot, man." Jess told him. "But if you think your brain can manage, I'd like to try and take your order."  
  
Dean glared at him, obviously angry, but trying to defuse the situation Rory ordered, "I'll have a cheeseburger, don't forget the pickles, and French fries. Oh, and coffee. Lots of coffee!"  
  
"And for bag-boy?" Jess turned towards him, but didn't look up from his pad.  
  
"The same." Dean replied.  
  
Jess nodded and walked away.  
  
"Why can't you two just get along?" Rory asked with a sigh.  
  
Dean looked at her, shocked. "Don't even try to blame this one on me. He started it. And why do you always defend that guy?"  
  
"I don't." Rory disagreed. "I just wish you two could, I don't know, find some common ground."  
  
"There is no common ground between me and him. There never will be."  
  
"There's me." Rory pointed out. "Jess is my friend." She saw Dean shake his head. "What? He is. And that's not going to change just because you two can't get along."  
  
"I tried." Dean said. "When he first game here I tried. But then he went after you."  
  
Rory groaned loudly. "He did not go after me, ok? We're friends, just friends. Besides, he's got a girlfriend. Shane something."  
  
Dean sighed and took Rory's hand. "Let's not fight about him ok? Will you go with me or not?" He asked, bringing up their earlier topic of conversation.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jess watching them. "Fine." She finally relented. "But you owe me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I hate you." Rory said to Dean as they drove home. "How did I let you talk me into this?"  
  
"It's because you love me." He smiled at her quickly, before turning his attention back to the road.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." She mumbled. "Maybe I love you, but I hate trucks."  
  
Dean laughed. "Oh come on. Didn't you find the monster truck show a little fun?"  
  
"Nope." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight ahead.  
  
"Not at all?"  
  
"Not even a smidgen." She replied.  
  
"Fine. We'll never go again." He promised as they pulled into her driveway.  
  
Rory finally smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that." She said and then kissed him. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too." She answered, kissed him again. And got out of the car.  
  
Rory walked through the front door and began to take her coat off. "Stop right there!" Lorelei ordered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Lorelei pulled her own coat on. "Luke's. Coffee. Now. Enough said."  
  
"Mom," Rory began, following her mother out the door. "They close in five minutes."  
  
"Then you'd better hurry."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh happy day!" Lorelei exclaimed upon entering Luke's.  
  
"You're excited." Luke's voice was the exact opposite of excitement.  
  
Lorelei took a seat at the counter before responding. "You're going to give me coffee."  
  
"No I'm not."  
  
"Yes you are." She shot back.  
  
Luke shook his head firmly. "Oh no I'm not."  
  
"And why is that, cranky man?" She questioned.  
  
Motioning to the clock, he answered her. "Because we're closed."  
  
A look of hurt crossed Lorelei's face. "Even for us?" Her bottom lip came out in a pout as she motioned to herself and Rory.  
  
Luke sighed in defeat. "Just this once."  
  
"Score!" Lorelei exclaimed and gave Rory a high five.  
  
Rory laughed. "Shameless." Luke reached for the pot of coffee and began to pour. "Where's Jess?" She asked casually.  
  
"Upstairs." Luke answered.  
  
Rory nodded and thought for a moment. "I'm going to go up. Say hi."  
  
"Sure." Luke told her. "And try to get him to study." He added as an after thought.  
  
"My daughter is not tutoring your delinquent nephew again." Rory heard her mom say as she headed up the stairs.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rory knocked on the door to the upstairs apartment and waited for Jess to answer. "Hi." He said when he finally came to the door.  
  
"Hi. Can I come in?" She asked, when he simply stared at her.  
  
Stepping back he motioned her in. "What can I do for you?"  
  
Shrugging she glanced around the small room. "Nothing. Mom's on a coffee run and I thought I'd come up and say hi. So, hi."  
  
"Hi." He paused. "Can I get you a soda? It's not coffee, but it's loaded with caffeine."  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
Taking a can out of the fridge, he handed it to her. "Just wanted to say hi, huh?"  
  
"That's it."  
  
"Really?" He questioned.  
  
Rory nodded. "Would there be another reason?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Jess shook his head. "Nothing."  
  
"Come on, Jess. Just say it."  
  
Leaning against the fridge, he studied her. "We could talk about your summer."  
  
"Not this again." Rory complained. "I didn't write you, ok? I'm sorry."  
  
"Really?" He sounded skeptical.  
  
"Yes, really. Not that it's any of your business, but I didn't write Dean either."  
  
"Huh."  
  
Rory threw her hands in the air. "I'm out of here. I came to say hi and I've done that." She turned and started down the stairs, but Jess followed her.  
  
"Rory, wait." He called, but almost crashed into her when she stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs. "What the." He paused at the solemn looks on the faces of Luke and Lorelei and the strange man at the counter. "Who died?"  
  
Jess?" The man approached him, but Jess couldn't bring himself to move from behind Rory. Something told him to stay put. "Jess, it's me. Your father."  
  
Well, should I continue? 


	2. A Midnight Phone Call

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Gilmore Girls or anything/anyone associated with the shows.  
  
-Chapter 2-  
  
"Jess, it's me. Your father."  
  
Everything else faded away after those five words. The man standing in front of him was his father. He was the one person he never expected to see again. Once those words were spoken recognition clicked inside of him. The man took another step in his direction and he subconsciously stepped back.  
  
"Jess?" Rory's soft voice broke through the haze and he focused on her. She had turned around and was now facing him, concern and worry shone in her deep blue eyes. "Are you ok?" He could only nod. None of this made sense to him. The questions began to swirl in his head. Why was he back? What did he want? Was he worth getting to know? Did he deserve a second chance?  
  
"Get out." Luke's gruff voice ordered and Jess saw him take a step towards the other man.  
  
"I'm here to see my son."  
  
Luke shook his head. "You've seen him, now go." When the man attempted to refuse, Luke took him by his arm and led him to the door. "I own this place, and I say it's time to go."  
  
"Fine, but I'll be back. We'll talk later Jess." He yanked his arm from Luke and left the diner.  
  
"Jess." Luke began, but couldn't find the right words.  
  
"Are you alright?" Rory repeated and reached out to touch his hand.  
  
He let her warm touch comfort him for a mere moment, before he yanked his hand away. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Because you just saw your father for the first time in."  
  
"Years." He finished for her. "Thanks for the concern, but I don't need it."  
  
Lorelei stood and placed her hand on Rory's arm. "We should go."  
  
Rory shook her head. "But."  
  
"Sweetie, I think it would be best if we left Luke and Jess to talk." She handed Rory her coat.  
  
Nodding finally, she gave Jess a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure." He watched her leave before addressing Luke. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"It's early."  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
Luke looked at him sympathetically. "Do you want to talk?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You know what."  
  
"Oh, him." Jess replied with a shrug. "I'm sure this newfound desire to get acquainted with his kid won't last long."  
  
Frowning, Luke asked. "What makes you say that?"  
  
Looking down at the floor before answering, Jess spoke in a soft, almost childlike voice. "He didn't want me when I was a kid, why would he want me now?" With that said, he turned and headed up the stairs.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You really think everything will be ok?" Rory asked her mother for the fourth time since they had left the diner.  
  
Lorelei nodded as she swung open the front door. "Yes, Jess is a smart, tough kid, not to mention the fact that Luke is not going to let anything bad happen to him."  
  
"He has gotten pretty protective." Rory agreed with a weak smile.  
  
"Like a pitbull." Lorelei gave her daughter a hug, before noticing the blinking light on the answering machine. Clicking the button she listened as the voices wafted through the speakers.  
  
"Lorelei, this is you mother."  
  
"Skip." She muttered and hit another button and listened to the next message.  
  
"Rory, its Dean. I just dropped you off ten minutes ago, where are you? Call me when you get this. I love you."  
  
"End of messages." The electronic voice told them.  
  
Picking up the phone, Lorelei held it out to her. "You gonna call him?"  
  
She pondered it for a minute. "Tomorrow." She decided. "I have some studying to do." The door shut behind her as she entered her bedroom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
1:28. The digital clock glared at her, daring her to sleep. Closing her eyes, she attempted to doze once again, but when she opened her eyes the clock read 1:30. With a groan she threw the covers back and stood up. With one last glance at the clock, she left her room and went straight to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard door, she frowned. Poptarts, a can of corn, and a loaf of bread were the only things edible. A sigh escaped her lips as she took out the box of poptarts. After placing it in the toaster, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and waited for it to pop up. When it did she took it to the living room and flopped onto the couch. The phone lay on the end table where Lorelei had left it hours ago. Rory picked it up and hit the Talk button, but quickly shut it off. "He's asleep." She told herself, but the next thing she knew she had dialed and it was ringing.  
  
"Hello?" His voice came over the line and she smiled a little to herself.  
  
"Sorry, did I wake you?"  
  
"Rory? Is that you?" He asked.  
  
She nodded and then rolled her eyes. He couldn't see her. "Yeah, it's me. Were you asleep?"  
  
"No, I couldn't."  
  
"Yeah, me either. Did I wake Luke?" She took a bite of her poptart as she waited for him to answer.  
  
"Nope, I can still hear him snoring."  
  
Rory laughed a little. "Good. It doesn't surprise me that he snores. He seems like the type." She paused. "Are you really ok, Jess?"  
  
"You sound concerned."  
  
"I am."  
  
She heard him sigh. "I'll live."  
  
Rory stretched out on the couch. Her poptart in one hand, the phone in the other. "I know you'll live, but that doesn't mean you're ok."  
  
"Don't worry about me."  
  
"Are you glad he's back?" She heard herself ask. It took so long for him to answer, she wondered if he was ever going to. "Jess? Are you still there?"  
  
"Yeah." He answered. "I just.I don't know how to answer that."  
  
"Then don't." She told him. We can talk about something else."  
  
"Like?"  
  
She quickly searched for a new topic. "What's the deal with turning comic books into movies?" She asked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jess could hear the raised voices as he came down the stairs. Luke was yelling and he didn't need three guesses to know at whom. "You walk out of his life and never even so much as drop him a line, send him a letter, and you expect to simply waltz back in like nothing happened, Jimmy?"  
  
"That's not what I'm doing. I know I have no right to want a relationship with my son, but I do and I'm sorry, but you can not stop me. He's my son, not yours."  
  
Luke only shook his head. "You may be his biological father, but it takes a hell of lot more than that to be his dad."  
  
"Stop it." Jess announced his presence.  
  
"I didn't realize you were up Jess." Luke greeted, looking towards the stairs.  
  
He nodded. "Well, I am."  
  
John looked his son over. "I was hoping we could talk."  
  
"I bet you were, but I'm late."  
  
"For what?"  
  
Jess snapped back at him, "None of your business."  
  
"Jess." Luke began.  
  
"I'll be back in time for my shift." He replied and Luke let him leave.  
  
Grabbing his coat off the rack, he found himself grateful that no one else had witnessed the argument.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rory smiled as Jess approached her. "Hey."  
  
"You look tired." He replied and smiled back.  
  
"Yeah, well, a two hour phone call starting at 1:30 in the morning can do that to a girl."  
  
Jess sat down next to her on the bench. "Who knew comic books becoming movies could be so fascinating?"  
  
"Don't forget about the beauty and wonder behind the poptart."  
  
"My favorite was why there was a need for more than one boy band, if any at all."  
  
Rory nodded earnestly in agreement. "At least we solved the puzzle."  
  
"Torture."  
  
Rory looked away before replying. "It was nice. Being able to talk without things being awkward."  
  
"You made them that way." He pointed out.  
  
"You didn't help things along. Spending all your time with your lips plastered to hers."  
  
Jess studied her. "By her, you mean Shane?"  
  
"Who else?"  
  
He couldn't help but smirk. "You sound jealous."  
  
Glaring back at him, Rory answered. "Hardly.  
  
"Because you have Dean." He replied, matter-of-factly.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Well then, speak of the devil." Rory turned to see Dean approaching them, looking less then happy.  
  
He stopped a few feet short of the bench. "Am I interrupting?"  
  
Jess draped his arm across the back of the bench. "We were kind of in the middle of something."  
  
Rory, however, stood and moved to stand next to Dean. "You weren't interrupting anything." She saw Dean glaring at Jess, who simply slouched a little and shoved his hands in his pockets while returning the glare with an amused expression. "Hey, if we're gonna make that movie, we'd better get going." Still he didn't move. "Like now." Grabbing his hand, she dragged him away from the bench and Jess.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Dinner, Jess, that's all I'm asking. You can pick the place." Jimmy said, later that evening. Jess didn't answer. "Give me a chance to explain."  
  
"Explain? Explain what? Why you left me and my mom?" He shot back.  
  
Jimmy looked at him, ashamed. "Yes."  
  
"This better be one hell of an explanation." Jess replied. He grabbed his jacket and held the door open as he waited for Jimmy to join him. 


	3. Lonely Too Long

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, so don't sue me! lol  
  
A/N-Anyone know where Jess and his dad are suppose to be living in the spin- off? Thanks.  
  
-Chapter 3-  
  
Jess refused to meet his father's eyes, his gaze, instead, remained rooted to his plate, Silently he slid the food around using his fork, occasionally lifting a bite to his mouth. Finally, the tension got to him and he heard the words come out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Why did you leave? Why didn't you love me and mom enough to stay? And why did you choose now to come back?"  
  
"It had nothing to do with love, son." Jimmy explained. "You meant everything to me. I used to brag about you to the guys I worked with." He smiled a little at the memory. "But I couldn't stay, I wasn't ready to settle down and be a full-time father. And your mom, she was always nagging at me to be better, but I couldn't. It hurt so bad to leave you, Jess. To see the tears running down your little face when I walked out the door."  
  
Jess forced the emotions down; his face revealed nothing. "Why now? What's with the sudden return to my life?"  
  
"I missed you." He replied without hesitation. "I missed my little boy and I couldn't stay away anymore. But you're not a kid anymore, are you? You've grown up without a father."  
  
"I did ok."  
  
"That's not what your mother said. She told me about the trouble you got into, why she sent you here, to Star's Hollow. You needed me and I let you down. I'm sorry."  
  
Jess shrugged and took a large drink of his water. "I've gotten over it, you should to. You walked out of my life once, I'm sure it'll be easier the second time around."  
  
`````  
  
"You should go." Rory said right before Dean leaned in for another kiss. "It's getting late and I really need to study." They were standing on the Gilmore porch, saying their good-byes for the fifth time that night.  
  
"It's the weekend." He told her with a slight groan. "Study tomorrow."  
  
"I can't. I promised my mom, my undivided attention tomorrow. And you know how pushy she can be, calling off a mother/daughter day is not even an option."  
  
Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, call me later though?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Ok." He repeated her and kissed her one last time. "Bye."  
  
"Bye." She watched as he made his way down the drive and then turned to enter the house, but was stopped by a voice.  
  
"Rory." Jess said stepping out from the shadows created by a tree.  
  
"Jess, what are you doing here?"  
  
He looked away from her for a moment before answering. "I just, I needed a friend and that's kind of a short list. I know you need to study, but can I come in for a little while?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." She responded and opened the door, motioning for Jess to answer. "What's up?" She asked, sitting on couch and tucking on leg under her as she turned to face him.  
  
"I went to dinner with my dad." He answered, getting right to the point.  
  
Rory nodded at him sympathetically, "How'd it go?"  
  
Jess shrugged a little. "He explained why he took off when I was a kid."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"It was a bunch of crap. Some garbage he made up to get my sympathy."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
He answered her question with some of his own. "How can someone just leave their family?" He paused for a moment and trained his eyes on the floor. "Why didn't he want me?"  
  
Rory felt her heartbreak for him, the sadness and loneliness she heard made her want to reach out to him, but she didn't know what to say. Without thinking, she did reach out and took his hand in hers. He met her eyes and she felt herself getting lost in their chocolate depths. "I'm sure it wasn't you." She said finally, tearing her gaze from his.  
  
Jess jerked his hand from hers. "It's not just him." He rose to his feet and walked a ways away, his back to her. "It's everyone. My mom, Luke, this whole stupid town. No one wants me around." While he didn't see Rory approaching, he could feel her behind him. "No one." He repeated. Facing her again, his eyes bore into hers as he said the words.  
  
Before she could answer the phone rang. With a frustrated sigh, she went to answer it. "Hello?" She tried to push the annoyance out of her voice and hope it worked. "Dean, hi." She said after listening to the voice on the other line. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jess head for the door, but quickly moved in front of him. "I can't talk right now, I'm studying." After another short minute she hung up.  
  
"You didn't tell him I was here." He observed. "Why?"  
  
She raised on shoulder. "It's none of his business who I hang out with. Besides, it would have led to a long, drawn out argument and I didn't want you to leave."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'm not like everyone in this stupid town." She smiled. "I want you around." Before she could talk herself out of it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. After a moment's hesitation, she felt his arms loosely around her waist. "I'm here, Jess, and I'm not going anywhere. Remember that, ok?" He didn't respond, just held onto her a little tighter.  
  
`````  
  
"It's been too long." Lorelei stated as she and Rory made their way down the street towards Luke's. "We don't see each other nearly enough."  
  
"I know!" Rory agreed. "Everyday is not enough."  
  
Lorelei glared at her. "Are you mocking me, daughter?"  
  
"Not at all." She assured, holding up her hands.  
  
"After everything I've done for you, all I've given up, you still mock and make fun of me. What it this world coming to?" She asked, flinging the door to the diner open melodramatically.  
  
"Careful with my door." Luke warned as he watched her and Rory sit at a table near the entrance.  
  
"You care more about that door than me, don't you?"  
  
"I have to pay money when the door is hurt, all I have to do for you is this." He poured her a cup of coffee and walked away.  
  
"Good point." Lorelei said. "But one day that isn't going to cut it." She called after his retreating form.  
  
"That'll be the day." He replied, without looking back.  
  
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Lorelei asked, but then noticed her daughter wasn't listening. Following Rory's gaze she frowned when she saw Jess near the stairs. "Is there a reason you can't take your eyes off of him?" She broke through to Rory who reluctantly tore her eyes from Jess.  
  
"I just feel so bad for him." She explained.  
  
"Yeah," Lorelei agreed, sincerely. "It must be hard for him. Seeing his dad after all these years." She watched as Rory shifted his eyes in Jess's direction once more. "Go." She told her.  
  
"Go where?"  
  
"Over there?" She jutted her finger in Jess' direction. "Talk to him, comfort him, kiss him for all I care, just quit making puppy dog eyes at him from across the room."  
  
"Ewww!" Rory exclaimed. "I was not making eyes of any kind."  
  
"Sure, if anyone one should be ewwwing, it's me. You're grossing me out. Now go, will ya?"  
  
"I thought you didn't like Jess?"  
  
Lorelei glanced back at him one more time. "I don't. He's a wanna-be bad ass, with a smart mouth, but." She trailed off for a moment and her face softened a little. "He's not as tough as he pretends to be and this can't be easy for him. He needs a friend and I don't know anyone else that would be willing to take the job."  
  
Rory smiled at her mom. "He's a good guy." She told her, standing up.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know, on the inside. He just never shows it, he's misunderstood, blah blah blah." She teased before Rory walked away.  
  
"Hey." She came up beside Jess. "How's it going?"  
  
"Ok." He replied and turned to pour more coffee for a customer.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Rory frowned slightly. "Where's Luke?" She glanced around the diner, but didn't see him or his familiar baseball cap anywhere.  
  
"Upstairs."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Can I get you something?" He looked up at her for the first time since she had approached him moments earlier.  
  
"Me and my mom could use some more coffee." Jess nodded and went behind the counter. "Are you sure you're alright? You're less talkative than usual."  
  
"Things are a little hectic right now. I'm not sure how Luke managed the diner without me." But his voice lacked the usual hint of humor and he groaned when Kirk called him over.  
  
"This isn't right." She heard Kirk say.  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Jess' voice sounded tired and annoyed.  
  
"Well, for starters," Kirk began. "The peanut butter is suppose to be on top, the jelly on the bottom." Jess nodded, reached out and flipped the sandwich over.  
  
"There."  
  
"You didn't let me finish." Kirk informed him. "This is creamy peanut butter, I specifically asked for crunchy."  
  
Jess crossed his arms across his chest. "We only have creamy, Kirk."  
  
"Then I should have been informed of that when I ordered my sandwich and specifically asked for crunchy. I'm not eating this." He pushed the plate away."  
  
"Fine." Jess snatched the plate up and headed toward the kitchen.  
  
"And I'm not paying for it either."  
  
"Kirk, honey," Miss Patty said after hearing the tail end of the conversation. "Go easy on the poor kid. You know about his dad."  
  
"Yes, but I still have the right to have my peanut butter and jelly sandwich made the way I want it."  
  
Luke entered just then. "This isn't Burger King and who eats peanut butter and jelly for breakfast?"  
  
"It helps get me through the day, but now that my sandwich was ruined." he shook his head sadly and got up to leave, without finishing his sentence.  
  
Miss Patty shook her head as he walked slowly towards the door, not even acknowledging Lorelei's greeting. "I should get going to. Tell Jess I hope everything works out for him and his dad. Poor kid." She repeated her earlier statement.  
  
Rory saw Jess standing in the kitchen door, when he noticed she was watching him, he disappeared into the other room. "Can't people mind their own business?" Rory asked, sitting across from her mom again. "Jess' life is his own, what do they know about it. It's rude, talking about Jess like that. "  
  
"Like you're doing now?"  
  
"This is different."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I was talking about people talking about him, not actually talking about him myself."  
  
"Right, of course. I totally see the difference."  
  
Rory turned her head towards the kitchen. "I just wish I could help him somehow."  
  
"Just keep being there for him. Be his friend, listen when he needs, but don't push, and treat him like you normally would, don't act differently around him." She offered.  
  
"And that will work?"  
  
"Everyone needs someone they can count on. Jess kind of lacks in the family, friends, loved ones, department."  
  
"I think you're starting to like him."  
  
Lorelei shuddered. "Perish the thought! He's a jerk, hun, and if you let him, he'll hurt you. But even jerks need friends in a time like this." 


	4. You Take The Good With The Bad

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's worth anything, and that included Gilmore Girls. lol  
  
A/N- I'm having so much fun writing this story and I hope you are all enjoying it as well. Here's the next chapter. Oh, and I went back and changed Jess's dad's name. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.  
  
-Chapter 4-  
  
"No way!" Rory exclaimed as her and her mom excited the movie theater.  
  
"Yes way!" Lorelei shot back and spun around to face her daughter. "How can you disagree with me on this?"  
  
"Because you're wrong." She stated simply.  
  
"Puh-lease!" She rolled her eyes. "Mall Rats was by far the best Ben Affleck movie ever made."  
  
Rory shook her head. "He played a total creep and had a supporting role at best. It doesn't even qualify as a Ben Affleck movie."  
  
"He was in it, he spoke, he looked hot, it qualifies." Lorelei informed her.  
  
"No it doesn't." Rory argued. "Armageddon, Good Will Hunting, Forces of Nature, Daredevil," She looked over her shoulder at the theater as she said the last movie title, "All qualify as Ben Affleck movies, but Mall Rats does not. It could be called a Jeremy London movie, but not a Ben Affleck movie."  
  
Lorelei groaned in protest, but compromised. "While I think you are wrong, maybe we can agree on one thing."  
  
"What?" She asked skeptically.  
  
"Daredevil." She paused for dramatic affect. "So not the best Ben Affleck movie ever."  
  
"Agreed." Rory gave a firm nod and they finally continued walking home. "But he did look good in tight leather."  
  
"And shirtless in a bathtub."  
  
"And kicking a little bad guy butt!"  
  
"And being all threatening to the big meany in the court room."  
  
"And walking down the street in the T-shirt."  
  
"Oh, oh and talking in general."  
  
"He just looked good period."  
  
"That he did." They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment. "But he looked good as a creep in Mall Rats too."  
  
"He was a sleaze! Statutory rape, remember? The whole sleeping with a fifteen year old thing."  
  
"I remember." She sighed before speaking again. "But if I were fifteen and Ben Affleck was, well, Ben Affleck." She trailed off and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
Rory made a face. "Bad, bad visual." She stated. "I guess it's good that you're not fifteen and he's going to marry Jennifer Lopez."  
  
"It's the butt isn't it?" She tried to turn and look at her own.  
  
"Could have something to do with it."  
  
Lorelei rolled her eyes at a sight across the street. "Those two should really get a room."  
  
Rory turned her head to the side and frowned. Jess had Shane backed up against a tree and was devouring her face. "I guess she figured out how to comfort him in his time of need."  
  
"You ok?" Lorelei asked softly, her hand on Rory's arm.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Her eyes never left the couple as she spoke.  
  
"Well, hun, you seem a little upset. A little jealous."  
  
"Hardly." She ground out and started walking once again.  
  
"Right." Lorelei muttered and hurried to catch her daughter.  
  
`````  
  
"You should skip school today." Lorelei declared as they walked to Luke's the next day.  
  
"I don't think so." Rory replied, adjusting the straps on her backpack.  
  
"Why not? You need to live a little, and playing hooky is just the way to start."  
  
"But," She began, "By skipping school I would miss an important lesson, leading to my failing a very important quiz. Then, my self-esteem is shot and I'll start failing everything left and right. Next thing you, I'm getting my "I'm sorry Miss Gilmore, but." letters from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Star's Hollow Junior College, if there was one of course. Anyway, before you know, I'm forty years old with no job, sitting on your couch in your house eating your bon-bons, while I play along with Wheel of Fortune and cry for hours over soap operas on your television set."  
  
Lorelei simply shrugged. "I can deal with that."  
  
"You have the day off?" Rory asked knowingly.  
  
"Yes." She answered bitterly. "And I'll be lonely." Opening the door, she entered Luke's but suddenly stopped and spun back around. "You'd really eat my bon-bons?"  
  
"In a heartbeat."  
  
Lorelei ushered her to the door. "Go, go, fast! Hurry up and get to school and learn lots of interesting things and pass all your tests and quizzes and get into Harvard and move out of my house. And most importantly, buy your own bon-bons."  
  
"I will," Rory assured her. "After I've had my morning cup of coffee." She brushed past her mom and sat at the counter.  
  
"Morning." Jess said coming up to them.  
  
"Enough with the pleasantries, poor the coffee so I can get rid of Rory." Lorelei demanded.  
  
Jess raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you want to get rid of Rory?"  
  
"Since she ate my bob-bons." She explained with a 'duh!' expression on her face.  
  
"I'm not even going to ask." He poured them each a cup. "Can I get you anything else?"  
  
Rory thought for a short moment. "Pancakes. With whipped cream. Oh! And can you make a smiley face out of the whipped cream?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Faceless pancakes it is then."  
  
"And I'll have eggs, and bacon, and sausage, and toast, and."  
  
"One of everything?" Jess cut her off with the question.  
  
Lorelei faked anger. "Do I look like a pig? Do I come off as a big eater? Everything but waffles, buddy."  
  
"Ok then."  
  
Rory added, "And make it snappy."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Jess saluted and went into the kitchen. The bells jingled above the door and Shane walked in, glanced around quickly before leaning against the counter to wait for Jess.  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen her up close before." Lorelei whispered. "She's not that pretty."  
  
Luke approached then. "Can I get you two something?"  
  
"Nope," Lorelei answered. "Lover-boy already took our order."  
  
"Ok.Wait, lover-boy?" Lorelei cocked her head in Shane's direction. "Oh." Was all he said, before shaking his head and going to wait on another customer.  
  
Rory glared at her mom for a moment. "Lover-boy? Listening to Mariah Carey again?"  
  
"Just cause you're jealous." She began, but Rory didn't let her finish.  
  
"I'm not jealous."  
  
"Right."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"I believe you."  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
Jess appeared then. "Food's done." He said placing a plate in front of each of them.  
  
"Yay!" Rory exclaimed after one glance at her food.  
  
Lorelei was busy with her bacon. "What?" Her mouth was full, and the word was slightly muffled.  
  
"Happy pancakes." Rory answered and Lorelei looked at her daughter's breakfast. The pancakes had a whipped cream smiley face.  
  
"Softy." Lorelei teased Jess.  
  
Jess didn't seem phased. "It wasn't me. Blame Caesar."  
  
"Sure, sure." She placed her hand over her mouth and whispered to Rory. "Major softy."  
  
"I heard that."  
  
Shane finally spoke. "Jess, can we go somewhere? Do something?"  
  
"Very whiny." Lorelei commented.  
  
Luke's head popped up even though he was a few tables away. "Jess is working."  
  
"Let's go." Jess said, coming around the counter. After kissing her, he put his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Jess!" Luke called after him, but Jess didn't even look back. "Glad I was blessed with a dependable nephew."  
  
`````  
  
Rory slowed her pace as she approached the bridge. Her mouth dropped at the sight in front of her and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Jess was there, but Shane was with him. She saw them pull apart and start to walk off the bridge, but Jess stopped at the end. "I'm gonna hang here."  
  
"Ok." She kissed him again, long and hard, before leaving.  
  
Slowly, she tried to back away. He had turned to face the water, his back was to her, and she thought it would be the perfect opportunity. Watching him as she crept backwards, she took one small step after another, then something crunched under her feet and Jess' head shot up. "Rory." He said after a long pause, he almost looked guilty. "I didn't expect to see you here."  
  
"Obviously." She snapped back.  
  
Jess gave her a curious look. "Here for a reason?"  
  
"I needed to think, I didn't mean to interrupt your little make-out session."  
  
"Huh."  
  
Rory narrowed her eyes at him. "Huh, what?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Uh-uh. Nice try. You said huh for a reason, what is it?"  
  
Jess crossed his arms across his chest. "You seem upset."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Rory turned to walk away, but stopped herself. "Why did you bring her here?"  
  
"Her Shane?"  
  
"No, her Britney Spears, yes, her Shane."  
  
"Is there a reason I shouldn't bring Shane here?"  
  
"Yes! No, it's just." She let a breath out slowly. "Nevermind."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Rory groaned. "Stop that!"  
  
"Stop what, Rory?"  
  
"Stop acting like you don't know what I'm talking about. Or why I'm upset."  
  
"I thought you weren't upset."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"But you just said."  
  
Rory held up her hands to stop him. "Forget what I just said. Forget everything, ok?"  
  
"Jeez, Rory, you're acting like this bridge is sacred. Like it's ours."  
  
"I am not." She denied.  
  
"Then who cares if I bring Shane here?"  
  
Rory shrugged. "Not me." She didn't give him a chance to respond before she stalked off, her anger reaching it's peak and mixing with hurt.  
  
``````  
  
Jess watched as Rory laughed at something Dean said. A slight scowl formed on his face, but he approached them anyway. "Rory, bag boy." He greeted.  
  
"Go away, Jess." Dean replied.  
  
"Hello to you too." Jess shot back sarcastically.  
  
Rory didn't look at him during the exchange. "I don't want to fight with you." Dean informed him.  
  
"That's nice, but I'm here to talk to Rory." He almost smiled at the look on Dean's face. "Rory?" He asked in a soft voice.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Sure." However, she didn't move.  
  
Jess sighed. "Alone."  
  
Dean glanced at Jess and then Rory, but waited for her answer. "Fine, I'll be back in like two seconds, Dean." She told him before walking a few feet away.  
  
"I'm sorry." Jess spoke up first.  
  
Rory looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"  
  
"I upset you and for that I'm sorry." Rory nodded. "Am I forgiven?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Ok, can I ask you something anyway?"  
  
"You can ask, but I don't have to answer."  
  
"Understandable." He paused for a long moment. "I need a favor." 


	5. The Meaning of the Word Friendship

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls so don't sue me.  
  
-Chapter 5-  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, was he serious? After the argument they had just had, was he really standing in front of her asking for a favor? One look in his eyes told her that he was very serious. "What is it?" Rory asked before agreeing to anything.  
  
"It's my dad." Jess glanced at Dean out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. "He wants to get together again, but as you know the last dinner wasn't exactly the beginning of a beautiful relationship."  
  
Rory looked slightly perplexed. "What does this have to me?"  
  
"I just don't want to have to face him alone again." Jess shrugged.  
  
"Why not take Luke? He is your uncle."  
  
Jess didn't answer her question, his eyes lowered to the ground for a moment before meeting hers again. "Will you come with me or not?"  
  
She couldn't resist, not when he looked at her with those eyes. They were filled with emotion; she'd never seen them like that before. Full of hope, need, and a little fear. Suddenly she remembered her promise to him that she would always be there for him. While she hadn't completely forgiven him for taking Shane to the bridge, or even figured out why it made her so angry, she found herself agreeing. "I'll come. When is it?"  
  
"Friday."  
  
A frown immediately formed on Rory's face. "Friday?"  
  
"Yea, you know it's the day after Thursday and the day before Saturday. What are they teaching you at that fancy private school?"  
  
"I know when it is, but it's just that Friday's are the big Gilmore family dinners. They're really hard to get out of."  
  
Jess nodded. "Don't worry about it then."  
  
With a firm shake of her head, she told him. "I said I'll come and I'll come. I might be placed in front of a firing squad for the crime of being a no show, but I'm willing to risk it. Just give me a place and a time."  
  
"Dinner's at seven, and don't worry about the place. I'll pick you up at 6:30, ok?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
Jess smiled at her. "Thanks, tell Bag Boy I said goodbye." He walked off in the other direction and Rory slowly made her way over to Dean again.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
Rory looked at Jess' retreating form once more. Not wanting to lie to him, she explained what he wanted and that she had said yes. "You're going?" He asked, shock coloring his features. "Why?"  
  
"Because Jess is my friend and he needs me."  
  
"Right." He sounded less than convinced.  
  
"What's that suppose to mean?"  
  
Dean sighed. "Nothing, it just seems like you'll do just about anything for that guy."  
  
"Dean, Jess needs all the friends he can get right now. This can't be easy for him and I'm sorry that you don't like it, but I'm going to be there for him."  
  
`````  
  
"Evil!" Lorelei exclaimed, as she came down the stairs dressed for dinner at her parents' house. "I can't believe you're sending me into the lions' den alone."  
  
"It won't be that bad." Rory reassured her from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
Lorelei looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Have you ever met your grandparents?"  
  
"Once or twice."  
  
"Then you should know the horrors I am going to experience tonight." Snatching her keys off the table, she turned to Rory with pleading eyes. "Let me come with you. I'll be good, I promise."  
  
"Hmmm." Rory pretended to consider it. "You, me, Jess, and his dad. I doubt it would work."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because you dislike Jess."  
  
"And his father even more." Rory watched her mom pull her coat on. "I'll never understand how someone could leave their kid. Although, I dropped you off on a doorstep once." She paused as if remembering the experience. "But I came back and picked you up a few hours later, so I guess it's a little difference."  
  
"Mom."  
  
"Just think, you and Kirk could have been brother and sister?"  
  
"You dropped me off on Kirk's doorstep?"  
  
"Of course not!" She gasped. "Kirk was practically a kid then, it was his mother's doorstep."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "What a loving mother you are."  
  
"What?" She asked. "I took you back."  
  
"Awful."  
  
"I could have left you. And looking back now, I should have."  
  
"Dinner." Rory said firmly ushering her mom to the door. "Have fun." She smiled in mock sweetness before shutting the door.  
  
Looking down at her plain black dressed, she took a deep breath. Jess would be there any minute. After checking her watch once more, she hurried into her room to find her shoes. The doorbell rang just as she had stuck her head under the bed. With a jerk, she banged her head, and still hadn't located her shoes. "Coming." She called. One hand rubbed her sore forehead as she reached out to answer the door. "Hey," She smiled warmly at Jess. "Come on in."  
  
"What happened to you?" He reached out and brushed his fingers across her smooth skin that was already red and promised to have a bruise by the morning.  
  
"My bed hates me." She mumbled, her breath catching at his touch. Closing her eyes briefly, she again turned in the direction of her room. "I need to find my shoes, I'll be right out."  
  
"Ok." Jess responded as Rory disappeared. He could hear heavy thumps and the occasional groans coming from the room.  
  
"A-ha!" Rory exclaimed, reappearing with a pair of black heels in her hand. "They were in the laundry hamper. Wonder how they got there." Slipping them on, she nodded towards the door. "Ready to go?"  
  
"No, but it's too late to back out now."  
  
`````  
  
"Jimmy, this is Rory, Rory, Jimmy." Jess introduced them and pulled out Rory's chair. She looked up at him with a surprised expression on her face, but didn't say anything.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Rory." He smiled at her politely.  
  
Forcing a smile of her own, she replied. "Same here."  
  
"Jess, it's good to see you again." Jess only nodded. "I'm glad you could make it."  
  
Rory frowned at the awkwardness and spoke up, "Mr. Mariano."  
  
"Jimmy." He interrupted her.  
  
"Jimmy, where were you living before you came to Star's Hollow?"  
  
"California." He answered. "Venice to be exact."  
  
"I've always wanted to go there." The table fell into silence again, but the waiter soon showed up to save them.  
  
"So, Jess, Rory." Jimmy began after they had received their food. "Are the two of you dating?"  
  
"Oh," Rory's fork was held in midair between her plate and her mouth. "No, um, me and Jess are friends."  
  
"I'm sorry, I assumed you two were more."  
  
Jess smirked slightly. "Well, you know what they say about assuming." Before he could finish, Rory elbowed him gently. He smiled at her, but didn't continue.  
  
"Will you excuse me?" Rory asked, scooting her chair back. "I just need to use the ladies room, I'll be right back."  
  
"We'll be waiting." Jimmy replied and stood as he watched her leave. "Nice girl." He commented, when she had walked a fair distance away.  
  
"Yeah, nice."  
  
Jimmy sighed, "Look, son, I asked you to dinner for a specific reason. There's something I want to discuss with you."  
  
`````  
  
"What happened while I was gone?" They were in Jess' car on their way home and Rory was curious about Jess' mood.  
  
Not answering right away, he gave her a sidelong glance. "Nothing."  
  
"Then why are you so cranky all of a sudden?"  
  
"I'm not cranky."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
Jess sighed. "Maybe that guy just brings out the best in me."  
  
"That guy is your dad, Jess." She pointed out. Jess didn't answer, simply turned the radio up.  
  
Not moving after they had pulled into the Gilmore driveway, Rory watched Jess out of the corner of her eye. He hadn't said a word since the comment about Jimmy being his dad. "I'm sorry." She told him softly, wishing she could take the remark back.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"What I said."  
  
Jess nodded. "Let's call it even, ok? You forgive me for taking Shane to the bridge and I'll forgive you for pointing out the obvious."  
  
"Ok." She opened the car door and climbed out. "Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure. Bye Rory."  
  
"Bye Jess." She smiled at him and was surprised when he smiled back.  
  
"Thanks for coming with me."  
  
Lifting one shoulder, she stepped away from the car. "What are friends for?" With that said, she walked away from Jess and towards the front door.  
  
`````  
  
"I'm disowning you!" Lorelei exclaimed loudly as they entered Luke's the next morning.  
  
"Was it terribly awful?" Rory asked sympathetically, referring to the dinner with her grandparents. Lorelei nodded, with a pout. "Awww, poor baby, but I know what will cheer you up."  
  
Lorelei smiled excitedly. "A pony!"  
  
"Mom, " Rory pointed out, "You wouldn't even let me have a puppy when I was a kid."  
  
"You weren't.responsible enough for a puppy!"  
  
"Ha! At eight I was more responsible than you."  
  
Lorelei glared at her. "I resent that."  
  
"Only because it's true."  
  
Sitting at the counter with a sigh, she asked, "What will cheer me up?"  
  
Before Rory could answer Luke appeared with a coffeepot, his frown deeper than usual. "A cheery server who willingly gives out an unlimited supply of coffee."  
  
"Yay!" Came her excited cry before she noticed Luke's expression. "Something wrong?"  
  
"What?" He looked at her for the first time. " Oh, it's Jess."  
  
"What did he do now? Get that girlfriend of his knocked up?"  
  
Rory looked at her, shocked, "Mom!"  
  
Innocent eyes turned to meet her gaze. "What?" Her shoulders raised in a shrug. "It could happen. And that would explain why Luke is more grouchy than usual."  
  
"I'm not grouchy." He told them. "And Jess didn't get Shane pregnant." He paused for a short moment. "At least I don't think he did."  
  
Rory felt her curiosity getting the better of her. "Then what is it?"  
  
"I don't know. But ever since he got home last night, he's seemed.I don't know, distant."  
  
"This is Jess we're talking about. He's always distant."  
  
Luke sighed, "Yeah, I know, but this is worse, more serious. I'm worried about him."  
  
"Don't be." Jess came down the stairs just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. "I'm fine."  
  
Luke studied him for a moment and then gave a slight nod. "If you say so."  
  
"I say so."  
  
"Ok," He responded, but in reality he wasn't so sure. An unexplainable feeling told him that Jess wasn't fine, that he was far from fine. 


	6. Without You I'm Not OK

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls so don't sue me.  
  
A/N- This is my first attempt at writing Lane. So be kind! lol  
  
-Chapter 6-  
  
"I'm really worried about him." Rory told her best friend, Lane, as they walked down the street early Saturday morning the next week.  
  
"Jess is, well, Jess." Lane offered. "He'll be fine." Rory sighed, everyone was so sure of it. Why wasn't she? "What? You don't think he will be?"  
  
Rory shrugged, "I don't know. I just don't think Jess is as tough as everyone assumes he is. And he's not the most open person. He could be really hurting and no one would even know."  
  
"I want to be helpful, Rory, but I don't like him, which makes in kind of hard to be supporting to someone who think he walks on water."  
  
"I don't think he walks on water. I just don't think he's the Spawn of Satan."  
  
"I thought that was Tristan?"  
  
Rory smiled for the first time that morning. "It is, which is why Jess can't be. One person per nickname."  
  
Lane laughed. "Does that mean he could be the Devil's brother? Nephew perhaps?"  
  
"Possibly, but Nephew of Satan just doesn't have the same ring to it as Spawn."  
  
Her friend nodded in agreement. "So we need to keep thinking."  
  
"Yup, and whatever we come up with has to be good."  
  
"Question." Lane said, looking puzzled. "How is Tristan Bible Boy and Spawn of Satan?"  
  
"He got Bible Boy for calling me Mary and the other one is pretty self- explanatory."  
  
"Or cause he looks like God's gift to women." Lane threw in.  
  
Rory grinned a little. "Looks can be deceiving."  
  
"You have a thing for bad boys." She blurted out a few minutes later.  
  
Rory stopped and turned to look at her. "How do you figure that? I've been dating Dean for two years and he's the farthest thing from a bad boy."  
  
"And while you've been dating Mr. Goody Two Shoes Perfect Boyfriend, you've pined for both Jess and Tristan. Both bad boys."  
  
"Have not!" She denied, but felt a slight blush color her cheeks.  
  
"Not that I blame you. At least not on the Tristan front. Bad boys have a certain amount of sex appeal. Look at the music biz. All the hottest stars are bad."  
  
Rory continued walking. "Like Dave?"  
  
"Yes, well, except when he's around my mother. Then he's a good little Christian boy."  
  
Rory laughed a little. "Don't all big time musicians go to church every Sunday in between gigs?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
Upon hearing footsteps behind them, they slowed to a stop and turned to face the newcomer. "Hey." Dean greeted hurrying to join them. When he did reach them, he leaned in to give Rory a kiss.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Goo." Lane began, but Rory cut her off.  
  
"What are you doing up so early?" She asked and shot Lane a dirty look.  
  
He frowned for a moment, but then answered. "Working the early shift and thought I'd grab a quick breakfast at Luke's. You?"  
  
Rory scowled at the memory. "Mom had some thing at the Inn and decided I should share in the torture of waking up before noon on a Saturday. She's an evil woman I tell you."  
  
Dean chuckled and took her hand in his. "Want to join me for breakfast?" He asked the two girls.  
  
Jess flashed through her mind, but she reluctantly agreed. "Uh, yeah, sure. You know me, I'm always up for food!"  
  
`````  
  
Flinching as the bell above the door jingled, announcing their entrance, Rory quickly scanned the small diner. Jess wasn't there. "Yet," She told herself. "Hey, Luke." She said aloud as they sat at a table in the middle of the room.  
  
"Hi. What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" He asked the younger Gilmore.  
  
"Plotting ways to get revenge on my mother for making me get up so early on a Saturday."  
  
"Right." Luke nodded, although he wasn't completely sure what she was talking about. "What can I get for you?"  
  
"Lots of coffee to start out with. And then some eggs and bacon." After her, both Lane and Dean ordered and Luke disappeared to place the order.  
  
After he left, Dean turned to Rory. "Hey, I was thinking we could do something tonight."  
  
"Can't," Rory told him, before she could explain he rolled his eyes.  
  
"Another dinner with Jess?"  
  
Rory frowned, "No, plans with Lane."  
  
"Oh," Dean responded. "We could double. You and me and Lane and Dave."  
  
"I don't think so. Tonight's kind of a girl's night."  
  
Luke approached before Dean could reply. "Here you go." He placed their food in front of them. "Oh, and before I forget, Rory, Jess wants to talk to you. He's upstairs."  
  
"Ok, thanks Luke." She answered. Taking a big forkful of eggs and adding a bite of bacon too it, she excused herself. "Be right back," she mumbled with her mouth full.  
  
"He says jump and you say how high?" Dean asked, his voice held an edge of anger.  
  
Rory stopped, after taking only two steps. "Excuse me?"  
  
"He wants to talk, so what? Go up later or better yet, don't go up at all."  
  
"Jess is my friend." She felt like she was repeating herself and knew the comment would only make Dean angrier.  
  
"Yeah, sure, friends."  
  
Crossing her arms across her chest, she demanded, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"  
  
"He wants you." He stated simply.  
  
"Oh please, not this again. Jess doesn't want me! We're friends, ok? You do know what that means, right?" She snapped.  
  
"Guys," Lane cut in, "This isn't."  
  
"Stay out of this, Lane." Dean told her.  
  
Rory glared at him. "Don't talk to her like that."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do."  
  
"Like you do to me?" It slipped out. She hadn't meant to say it, but maybe it was something she had wanted, needed to say for a long time.  
  
Dean paused for a moment. "I don't tell you what to do."  
  
"No? You just did, not two minutes ago, when you told me not to go talk to Jess. You're always telling me not to talk to Jess. Or not to see him or be friends with him. That's not your decision."  
  
Dean stood up and took a step towards her. "You want Jess? Fine, don't let me stand in the way." With that said, he stormed out of the diner.  
  
Rory felt tears welling up in her eyes. This was the worst fight they had ever had and everyone had witnessed it. Squaring her shoulders, she slowly headed up the stairs.  
  
`````  
  
Music pulsated from behind the closed door. Reaching out her hand, she knocked loudly on the door. But as she thought, he couldn't hear it. Finally, she opened the door and stepped inside the small apartment. Her eyes took in the scene and the tears she had been holding back began to fall at full force.  
  
Sensing another presence, Jess looked up and saw Rory standing at the doorway crying. Quickly, he shut the radio off and approached her. At first he didn't know what say, but he put his hand on her arm and waited for her to look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked when she finally did.  
  
"You're packing." She stated, her eyes once again taking in the boxes that he was filling with his stuff.  
  
"Yeah." He replied, as he looked around as well.  
  
Sniffling a little she asked, "Why? Are you going back to New York?"  
  
Leading her over to the bed, he motioned for her to sit. "No, but I am leaving Star's Hollow."  
  
Rory felt the breath rush out of her, and knew there was no stopping the new onslaught of tears. "Where are you going?"  
  
His answer was simple. "California."  
  
"What's in California?"  
  
"My dad."  
  
"But you hate him." She pointed out.  
  
Jess sighed. "But he's my dad and I think I owe it to myself to try and get to know him."  
  
Rory gave him a watery smile. "Good for you." Her voice however was anything but sincere. "Is that what was bugging you after the dinner?"  
  
"Yeah. I was dead set against it when he first suggested it, but I changed my mind."  
  
"What about Luke?"  
  
Jess paused. He'd expected Luke to be happy to see him go, but that wasn't the case. Luke actually wanted him to stay. The feeling was mutual. While he wanted to try to have a relationship with his dad, he knew he'd miss his uncle, he knew he loved him. They were family. "We'll stay in touch."  
  
"He loves you."  
  
He nodded almost sadly, "I know."  
  
They sat in silence for a few moments, but Jess broke it. " I answered you," Jess began softly. "Now you answer me. What's wrong? I know the boxes didn't bring on your tears."  
  
Looking up at him with sad eyes, she nodded. "The tears were there, the boxes made them fall."  
  
"What put them there in the first place."  
  
"Dean." She could see Jess's jaw clench visibly. "We had a fight."  
  
"About?"  
  
Her cheeks grew hot for the second time that morning. With a sigh, she answered him. "You."  
  
Jess blinked in surprise. "Me? Didn't know I had that much effect on your relationship with Bag-Boy."  
  
"Don't call him that."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Rory nodded. "It's ok, I don't want to fight with you too. Especially if you're leaving."  
  
"I am."  
  
Standing up, she walked a few feet away from him. "Where you even going to say goodbye this time?"  
  
"That's why you're up here now."  
  
"Oh." She turned to face him and looked straight into his eyes. "I'll miss you."  
  
"Huh." Jess felt a little uncomfortable, but was mostly teasing her.  
  
Eyes narrowing into slits, she glared at him, "Jess!"  
  
"Alright, alright! I'll miss you too."  
  
Her expression changed and her glare turned into a small smile. "I knew it!" He laughed slightly, but she grew serious again. "When are you leaving?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
"A time please."  
  
"Eight."  
  
Rory gasped. "As in the a.m. hours?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Great, first you tell me you're leaving and then you tell me I have to be up at eight to see you off. You're cruel."  
  
"You don't have to come." He informed her.  
  
Giving him a shrug, she replied, "I'll be there."  
  
For a moment she just stared at him, let herself drown in his eyes and take in every part of him. A need to memorize every detail about him came over her and she gave into it. She wanted to remember the way he looked, the way he was looking at her, the way she might never see him look again. And then the sadness came. It washed over her like a tidal wave. Jess was leaving. He was going away and she didn't know when, or if, she would see him again. The urge to hug him, hold onto him with everything she had swept through her body and it took every once of strength she had in her to resist. He was looking back at her, his eyes intense. What was he thinking? Were his thoughts anything like hers? Would he really miss her? What would her life be like without him? She couldn't remember not having Jess around, even though 16 years of her life was spent without him and not even two with him in it. The thought of losing him hurt. It hurt like hell. 


	7. I Love You Came To Late

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls so don't sue me.  
  
A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update. I've had a serious case of writer's block. This is actually the second version of Ch. 7 I've written and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  
  
-Chapter 7-  
  
"You don't have to do this." Luke felt like he was repeating himself. He didn't realize it would hurt to see Jess leave, again.  
  
Jess shoved a few remaining CD's into his duffel bag and zipped it up. "I know, I want to do this."  
  
Luke nodded at his nephew. "As long as you're sure."  
  
"I am."  
  
"I'm here, if you ever need anything. Or if your dad isn't what you want him to be. Or if..."  
  
Jess smirked slightly. "I get the picture."  
  
"Ok, good." For a moment neither spoke. The silence finally getting to Luke, he took his baseball hat off and ran his hand through his hair. "We should probably get downstairs. Lorelei has probably passed out from a lack of caffeine."  
  
Jess could almost picture it in his head. "Yeah, we should." He headed for the door, but Luke stopped him.  
  
"Hey Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Luke stepped towards him. "I'll miss having you around."  
  
"Aww, I knew you cared."  
  
"I won't miss your smart mouth though."  
  
Jess smiled, "I'll miss being around."  
  
"So, um, do we..." His voice trailed off, but then he finished the sentence. "Hug or something?"  
  
Jess rolled his eyes at his uncle. "We could."  
  
"Have we ever done that before?"  
  
"Nope. Not that I recall."  
  
Luke nodded. "You were three."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The last time we hugged, you were three."  
  
"Oh." He watched as Luke stepped forward and stuck his hand out. Jess took it and gave it a firm shake.  
  
"Come here," Luke told him and pulled him into a quick hug. "You're family, Jess."  
  
Jess pulled back and gave him an amused look. "So that's why there's the title Uncle before your name? I've always wondered about that."  
  
Luke just shook his head. "Let's go."  
  
`````  
  
"There you are!" Lorelei exclaimed as the two men came downstairs. "We were starting to get impatient."  
  
"You were starting to get impatient." Rory reminded her.  
  
Lorelei shot a glare at her daughter. "Picky picky." She quickly turned her attention to Luke and put on her best puppy dog face. "Coffee?"  
  
"Only because it's 7:30 in the morning and I fear for my safety if I don't give it to you." He told her, reaching behind to counter to pull out a freshly brewed pot.  
  
"You, my friend, are a God."  
  
Luke sighed, "Just what I always wanted to be. The Coffee God."  
  
"It suits you."  
  
Jess stepped closer to Rory and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Can I talk to you upstairs for a minute?"  
  
She could feel his warm breath on her ear and neck and for a moment her brain clouded over. "Uh, yeah, sure." She finally mumbled. "We'll be right back." She called to her mom and Luke before following Jess upstairs.  
  
"She's going to miss him, as much as I hate to admit it, she will miss that boy." Lorelei observed with a sad smile.  
  
Luke continued to look at the stairs they had disappeared up. "They were getting pretty close."  
  
"Too close." She added remembering Rory telling her about the kiss they had shared.  
  
Luke finally turned his gaze to Lorelei. "He would never hurt her."  
  
"Not intentionally." She sighed. When the diner lapsed into silence she folded her arms on the counter and placed her head in them. "Night, Luke. Wake me when the bus gets here."  
  
`````  
  
Rory's eyes took in the apartment for what could have been the hundredth time since the "remodeling", but she didn't recognize it at all. The surfaces that once housed Jess' CD's and books were now bare, the bed was neatly made and no clothes cluttered his side of the room. "Wow, you're really leaving." She stated the obvious.  
  
"Yeah, it looks that way."  
  
Wrapping her arms around her midsection she appeared to be physically trying to hold herself together. "Star's Hollow will be less interesting without you."  
  
"I'm sure I won't be missed too much."  
  
A frown formed on her face. "By some people, you will."  
  
"You're a rare one Rory Gilmore." He informed her.  
  
Her eyes watered slightly and she sighed. "Don't be a stranger. If you don't come back and visit I'm going to have to follow you to California just like I did when you went to New York."  
  
"Following me to California will be a lot more expensive."  
  
"I have the money."  
  
"The bus ride would be longer. Days longer."  
  
"As long as I have a window seat, I'll survive."  
  
"Los Angeles is a big city."  
  
"I'll find you."  
  
"The..."  
  
With a shake of her head she cut him off. "Just shut-up and say you'll visit."  
  
"Do both of those things at the same time?"  
  
She laughed softly. "Smart-ass."  
  
"Did Rory Gilmore, princess purity, just utter a curse word?" He asked, feigning shock.  
  
"Yeah, she did. What are you going to do about?"  
  
Taking a step forward, he lowered his face dangerously close to hers. "This." He whispered, his warm breath brushing against her lips, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Before she could utter a protest, his lips were on hers. They moved ever so gently against hers and her arms found their way around his neck, her hands tangling in his hair. She pulled him even closer until she pressed firmly against him. Both were breathless when they finally pulled apart. Rory sighed softly, her eyes still closed. Jess smiled down at her and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "We should go downstairs."  
  
Rory's eyes flew open as Jess' words broke through the haze that had descended on her as soon as their lips had met. "Yeah, I guess we should." She watched as he moved towards the door and swung it open.  
  
"You coming?" He called over his shoulder.  
  
She nodded and took a few steps to follow him, but then abruptly stopped. "Jess, I..." She trailed off and lowered her eyes to the floor."  
  
"You what?" He asked curiously.  
  
With a quick shake of her head she hurried to the doorway. "Never mind," she mumbled as she brushed past him and hurried down the stairs.  
  
`````  
  
"We thought you two were doing something dirty up there." Lorelei called out, much more cheerful than before.  
  
"Mom, ewww." Rory laughed. "How many cups of coffee did he give you?" Her eyes slid over to Luke and then back to her mother.  
  
Lorelei shrugged. "I lost count after the fifth one."  
  
"The bus will be here soon." Luke informed them.  
  
Jess nodded. "We should probably go outside and wait."  
  
Lorelei stood up. "Probably." The four of them slowly exited the diner and found themselves standing quietly on the sidewalk. "I'm surprised Taylor isn't throwing a party or something." She commented.  
  
"He's probably just waiting till after Jess leaves so he can at least appear to be polite."  
  
"I bet that party would have a big turn-out." Jess added. Rory started to say something, but Jess cut her off. "It would. Taylor, obviously, Dean, Lane and Mrs. Kim, Babette, you." He finished his eyes trained on Lorelei.  
  
Before Lorelei could defend herself, Rory burst out laughing. "Hun, you're suppose to be on my side here."  
  
"No, no." Rory waved her hand in front of her face. "It's not that."  
  
"Then what's with the laughing?"  
  
Placing her hand on her stomach she tried to suppress the giggles that refused to quit. "I know someone who will be sorry to see Jess go."  
  
"Who?" Luke asked with a frown.  
  
"Miss Patty!" Rory exclaimed as a new fit of laughter overcame her. "She'll be sorry to see her eye candy go! You should here some of the things she says about you."  
  
Thinking about a few conversations she had had with Miss Patty about Jess Lorelei start laughing as well. A smile formed on Luke's face as well. "That's just gross." Jess told them. Suddenly the bus pulled up to the curb and came to a stop.  
  
"We leave in five minutes." The driver called out to him.  
  
Jess nodded at him and then turned back to the three people who had come to see him off. "This is it."  
  
Lorelei was the first to speak. "You were wrong. I wouldn't go to Taylor's party." She paused for a second. "Well, I would. But only for the food." She assured him. "Send me some California sand."  
  
With a shake of his head, he agreed. "Will do." He promised and was caught of guard when she gave him an awkward embrace. "Never do that again."  
  
"Never!" She smiled and stepped away so the others could say goodbye.  
  
Luke went next. "We don't need another sappy goodbye, do we?"  
  
"No, I can do without the mush." They shook hands. "I'll miss you Uncle Luke." It was the first time he had used he word Uncle in a non-sarcastic way.  
  
"Aww, they're so cute together!" Lorelei exclaimed from behind them.  
  
Luke stepped away from his nephew and glared at Lorelei. "Shut-up."  
  
"But Lukey..." Lorelei whined and they began another one of their infamous quarrels.  
  
Feeling her feet moving in Jess' direction, she blocked the two adults out and focused on the person in front of her. 'Don't cry,' she told herself firmly. "You'll visit?" She asked.  
  
"Only because I don't want you to get lost wondering the streets of LA."  
  
"I'd be fine. You saw how well I adapted to life in The Big Apple."  
  
Jess smirked. "I thought I told you only tourists call it that."  
  
"Right, right. I forgot."  
  
"I'll call you?" It was more of a question, as if he were asking for her permission.  
  
"I'd like that."  
  
His eyes traveled to the apartment above Luke's. "Sorry about earlier." He wasn't, but he knew she thought it was a mistake. He figured he's apologize so he wouldn't have to hear it come from her. The last thing he wanted to hear before he left Star's Hollow for good was that their kiss had been a mistake, because she loved Dean.  
  
"Don't be." Her words caught him off guard and he quickly brought his gaze to her face. "I'm not." She brought her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder.  
  
His arms automatically went around her waist, turning his head slightly he could smell her shampoo. Breathing her in, he memorized how it felt to hold her in his arms, knowing the opportunity would most likely never present itself again. Finally he pulled back to look at her, his hands still placed in her waist. "Good-bye Rory." A single tear escaped and he reached forward, brushing it away with the pad of his thumb. "Don't cry. I'm not worth it."  
  
"Yes, you are. To me anyway." The bus driver called to Jess that it was time to load his stuff under the bus.  
  
"I got it." Luke told him and grabbed the bags Jess was taking him with now.  
  
Turning to board the bus, Jess stopped at the sound of calling his name. "Jess! Wait!" He saw Shane running towards him. Before he could process what was happening she had thrown herself into his arms. "I know we broke up when you told me you were leaving, but I don't wanna break up. I love you." She kissed him quickly and detangled herself from him. "Call me as soon as you get there."  
  
Jess tried to find Rory's eyes, but she refused to look at him. "You coming or not, kid?" The driver asked.  
  
Finally Jess got on the bus. "I'm coming." He replied as he passed and headed to an empty seat. Sitting, he gazed out the window at Luke, Lorelei, Rory and Shane and the bus slowly rolled away from Star's Hollow. 


	8. A Million Miles Away

A/N- Blast from the past! I haven't updated this story in over two years! Don't ask me why I'm revisiting it now, I just have an itch. If you take a chance on reading this I promise to not go so long without an update, I actually have the nextfew chapters planned. This is kind of a filler chapter, I know, but I figured dealing with Dean would require a chapter all its own. Read and pretty please review!

Disclaimer: Broke college student! I own the bare necessities and that does not include a TV show.

-Chapter 8-

Rory shifted a little under a mound of blankets. With a sigh of sad content she decided she could definitely understand why some people chose to become hermits. Five hours. She glanced at her clock, Five hours and thirty-seven minutes she amended. Jess's lips against hers lofted into her mind and the smile that spread across her face was uncontrollable. For a second it overrode the fact that he was gone. The fact that Shane was in love with him. The fact that she couldn't have him. Dean had called. In true hermit fashion she had let the phone ring, barely looking in its direction. He could be so sweet sometimes, making sure to not call before noon on the weekends. Little did he know, she had been awake since seven-thirty. Little did he know, Jess had been on her mind since 7:30 and the way she felt about that fell just shy of guilty.

-----

Laying the open book across his knee, Jess turned his head to gaze out the window. The scenery that whizzed by barely registered in his head. Over and over he had to remind himself that leaving Star's Hollow was a good thing. Kissing Rory had been rash, it changed nothing. Sure, she said she wasn't sorry that the kiss had happened, but what did that mean? That she was willing to break up with her perfect bag boy boyfriend to be with him? He had no delusions that that would ever happen. He was the bad boy and every girl went through that phase, he was just glad that he had been there for Rory's. No other girl had been able to get into his head like she had and he knew full well if he stayed there any longer she would be in his heart, if she wasn't already.

As if Rory constantly entertaining his thoughts wasn't difficult enough to deal with, Shane's big announcement had certainly caught him guard. Love? He hadn't seen that one coming. To him their relationship had been about what happened when they were alone in her bedroom and he had honestly believed it was the same for her. Eventually he would have to call her, explain that he didn't feel the same way. Eventually.

-----

"Up!" Lorelei sang out in Rory's bedroom when she got home from work that night. "Geez, have you even moved since I left."

Under the blankets Rory shrugged. "I ate lunch." She paused as if deep in thought. "And I went to bathroom once or twice."

Lorelei nodded. "Just as I suspected. Up!" She called out again, reaching for the blankets that engulfed her daughter. "We're going to Luke's."

Once again the kiss they shared that morning flooded her mind with a vengeance. She was sure her cheeks turned red. "How about Al's?" She tried, plastering a 'please, for me' look on her face.

"How about Luke's?" Her mother's face mirrored her own.

She sighed heavily, "Fine." Throwing the covers back, she swung her legs over the side of her bed. "The things I do for you."

"You love Luke's." Came Lorelei's confused response as Rory left her room.

"You're food is in front of you. Not upstairs." Lorelei looked at her only child with an expression of worry. "Nothing, or should I say no one, is up there."

Her eyes remained rooted on the stairs for a moment longer. "I know."

"Sweetie," she now put her fork down and turned towards her daughter. Placing her hand gently on Rory's arm, the girl finally turned to look at her mother. "I know you and Jess were close, but babe…"

"I know, he's gone and I need to accept that. I shouldn't miss him, he's bad for me, we were just friends, yadda yadda yadda. I've told myself all of this. I'm fine, mom, really. He just left today, I just need a minute to adjust."

Lorelei put her arm around Rory and leaned in close, "Adjust fast, 'cause Dean just walked in."

Plastering a smile onto her face, Rory turned to greet her boyfriend as he leaned in to give her a chaste kiss. Her head didn't cloud and she didn't feel it in her toes. "Hey." She muttered when they pulled apart.

-----

"I'm glad you're finally here." Jimmy greeted his son as he stepped of the bus. Not sure what to say, Jess only nodded. The car ride to the house was silent. "Sasha and Lily are out right now. They went to the grocery store to get food for dinner. You're really going to like Lily. She's an interesting kid."

Jess was interested at the mention of Lily. "Is she yours?" He couldn't help his bluntness. A need to know if his dad had stuck around for a child that wasn't him burned within him.

"No, she's Sasha's. I only have one kid." He eyed his son once again. "I really am glad you're here Jess. I want to make up for all those years ago."

"I'm not sure you can." It was said without bitterness, only honesty.

-----

The phone glared at Jess from where it was perched next to the fold-out couch that would serve as a bed until they could transform Sasha's studio into a bedroom. Losing the battle inner battle he was enduring he picked up the phone and dialed collect. She picked up, he knew she would. "I'm glad you called. Even if it is the middle of the night."

His watch said it was almost ten, meaning it was in the early morning hours. "I thought about not calling. I wanted to not call." He answered not apologizing for the time.

The line was momentarily quiet and he knew his words had stung her. "I caught you off guard today, I know that. But Jess…I meant what I said. I love you." Shane confessed softly. "The whole plan was to not fall for you, to just have fun. And boy was it fun." He'd never heard her so serious.

"Shane, I don't…"

"Love me back? I know, but maybe one day…" She trailed off, her meaning hanging in the air. No, screamed in his head. Loving Shane? He couldn't even wrap his mind around it, but her voice was so small on the other end of the phone. "Just think about it. Maybe I could like come see you when school gets out?"

Leaning forward he placed his elbow on his knee and rubbed at his forehead. "I don't know about that Shane. I just got here myself. Give it some time and then maybe."

"Really?" She sounded excited that he was even considering the idea. "I'll wait as long as you want. Promise."

"Ok, look, I'm going to go. Sorry I called so late, I forgot about the time difference."

"It's ok. Talking to you was like so worth it." With seriousness gone from her voice and the reappearance of the words like and so, he remembered why he'd chosen her to keep his mind of Rory. All the perks of a girlfriend and none of the hassle. Boy had she thrown that idea out the window with just three little words.

"Night Shane."

"Good night, Jess. I love you!"

Without responding he hung up the phone. "Yeah, that went well." He muttered to himself.


	9. Sandy Beaches and Old Loves

A/N-Ok, so I said I would update in a reasonable fashion. But hey, 3 months is better than 2 years, right? Oh, and any Dean lovers reading, beware. I hate the guy!

-Chapter 9-

The sun, the sand, the beach. As soon as it warmed up just a few more degrees there would be girls in bikinis as far as the eye could see. How many people would love to be in his shoes right now? Those shoes were currently on the beach. Jess sat in the sand surveying his surroundings knowing he looked out of place in his black jeans, Distillers t-shirt, and black leather jacket. He was never going to be able to play the part of the beach bum. For starters there was no way he was ever wearing shorts. However, he could picture Rory here. She would be wearing capris and a tank-top, her hair down over her shoulders. He could envision her with her shoes kicked off as she darted in and out of the tide, laughing the whole time. With a shake of his head, he pushed all thoughts of Rory Gilmore and Star's Hollow aside.

"Definitely not from California." A cute brunette plopped down in the sand next to him. "Abby." She smiled at him.

"Jess." He nodded, not elaborating on the earlier comment.

She crossed her jean clad legs under her as she gazed out at the ocean and he noticed that her leather jacket almost matched his own. "So, where are you from?"

"Originally New York."

"And recently?"

Damn it! He cursed himself. That stupid town had just been shoved to the backburner of his mind. "Star's Hollow."

"Star's what?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Star's Hollow. Its in Connecticut."

"Never heard of it."

"Only about 200 people in the whole world have and about 190 of them still live there."

Abby laughed lightly. "You don't strike me as a small town boy."

"I'm not. New York originally, remember."

He finally allowed himself to angle his body slightly in her direction and looked at her more closely. She was cute, with layered brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were also brown as they briefly met his before returning to the ocean. But it was her smile that really caught his attention. It was easily brought to her face and traveled all the way to her eyes, which seemed to lit up whenever her mouth curved upwards.

"Right, right. I remember."

"What about you, leather jacket doesn't exactly scream California."

She shrugged. "I'm a native. Even tried out the beach bunny lifestyle for a while. It just didn't suit me. Maybe if I had been born a blonde." There was that smile again, this time Jess found it contagious.

"Blondes don't always have more fun. I personally think that's a myth." He looked away as the truth of the statement hit him. Brunettes had always been able to turn his head more quickly than blondes.

-----

Dean's mood had lifted. He rarely frowned and he was twice as affectionate to Rory. The cause of his new and improved good mood: the absence of Jess Mariano. Rory knew this full well. While her mood never quiet reached above content, Dean practically whistled as he walked down the street. Lorelei noticed her daughter's new sullen appearance however. Her smile became more rare, their witty banter appeared slightly forced on one end, and she hadn't laughed out loud once since that day. She wasn't downright sad or miserable and at times she even appeared happy, her eyes twinkling as she watched Willy Wonka or her mouth curving into a genuine smile as her and her mom ganged up on Luke. But when she sat alone, she looked a little melancholy and contemplative. It didn't take more than one guess to realize that her new mood was also caused by Jess Mariano. Man, had that kid had an impact on their tiny little town.

"I can't do this anymore." Rory caught her mom off guard. Lorelei had just walked in the door after a long day at work. Michel had been irritable, Sookie had set not one, but two things on fire, a guest had gone to battle with her because their pillow mint was stale, and the shower was broken in their finest suite.

"Can't do what anymore, Sweets." She dropped her purse and jacket onto the floor into the entryway and kicked of her shoes while she walked into the living room. Lacking all semblance of grace she flopped onto the couch next to her daughter and rested her sock clad feet on the coffee table.

Rory eyed her weary appearance and felt bad for adding to her mother's stress. "We can talk about it later. You look tired."

"Nah. It's all good. It's just these darn feet. I keep trying to tell them they're still twenty-two, but they keep insisting their…thirty." She looked away from her daughter as she slipped in the fib about her real age.

"You had me at thirteen? I mean I knew you were young, mom, but thirteen?"

"Shush and tell mommy what you can't take anymore."

Rory sighed and followed her mother's example of propping her feet up on the table in front of them. "The whole Jess left, Dean loves me, guys make my head feel all owwy situation."

"Still confused."

"In case you couldn't tell, I miss Jess. I miss him a lot. And yeah, I do love Dean, but its not the same anymore. Can I be honest here?"

"As honest as Abe Lincoln."

Rory nodded and took a deep breath. "Ok, so I kissed Jess again the day he left and let me tell you, best kiss I've had in a while. So now every time I kiss Dean I think about how much better it felt to kiss Jess. Then I start feeling guilty cause I knew that Dean loves me and its not fair to him to think about another guy while we're kissing. But Jess is…Jess…and I shouldn't miss him but I can't stop myself. Every time my mind wanders it wanders to him and I try to push those thoughts aside, but I can't. What should I do?"

"Breathe." Lorelei answered, her mind now reeling too. Her baby really did have it bad for the town bad boy.

Rory took a deep breath. "Check. What else?"

Lorelei shook her head. "I don't know. You're right about not being fair to Dean, but as what to do about him and Jess…I really don't know. You're gonna have to figure that one out on your own."

"I think I have."

"Oh yeah? What?"

Rory shifted back and forth as she weighed the words in her mind. "Jess is on the other side of the country. He's gone and probably not coming back. I know sitting here pining over him is stupid. I'll get over him, I have to. But if I feel this way about Jess, then Dean isn't who I'm meant to be with. I have to end things with him." She removed her legs from the table and hugged them to her chest. "When did my love life get so complicated? It was suppose to easy. I thought after me and Dean got over that whole little I love you, let's break up thing, our relationship would be smooth sailing."

"Relationships are never smooth sailing. And you're young. The odds of marrying your first love, high school sweetheart aren't very good."

"Are you mad?" Rory eyed her mother to try and gage her honest reaction.

"For you wanting to break up with Dean?"

"For me falling for Jess and allowing him to cause my break-up with Dean."

Lorelei studied the blank television screen. "I don't like the punk. In fact, I think life would have been better of he'd never moved here, but I'm not mad. You can't control who you like. Look at me, I went out on a date with a twelve year old." She said referring to the younger guy she dated from business school.

Rory laughed, really laughed, for the first time since Jess had exited her life.

-----

Dean clenched and unclenched his hand as he watched his girlfriend wring hers together. The cloud he'd been walking on dropped from beneath him and he plummeted to earth, landing with a resounding thud. Even from California Jess was screwing with his life. "I hate him." Dean told her.

"Don't. It's not his fault." The pair were standing in his bedroom. He had offered her a seat when she entered, but she had opted to stand. Something about standing made her feel stronger, more confident. She didn't know what that something was however, it was just a feeling.

"Then who's is it, Rory? Mine? I did something wrong?"

Rory felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "No, its nobody's fault. Things between us just aren't the same anymore. I'm not ending things with you because of Jess or because I want to be with him. He's in California for crying out loud. But I've realized that if I can have any kind of feelings for anyone else, its not fair to you. You deserve someone who can give you their whole heart and love you more than anything in the world. I do love you Dean, but not the way I used to. I am so sorry."

"Did you cheat on me with him?" His voice was more angry than anything else.

"What?"

"You heard me." He snapped. "Did you sleep with him?"

"No! Of course not."

He nodded, but wasn't satisfied. "But something happened."

"Dean, don't."

"You kissed him, didn't you?"

Rory fell silent as her gaze dropped to the ground. "Yes." Her voice was barely audible and she silently prayed he hadn't heard her. But when she felt his hand connect with her cheek, she knew he had. Her hand flew to the stinging flesh as she gazed up at her sweet, gentle boyfriend.

"How many times?" She stepped back, still cupping her cheek. "I said, how many times?"

"Twice." His jaw clenched and she noticed his hand curled into a tight fist. Fear surged through her. Would he hit her again?

Leaving her now tear-stained face, his eyes followed her gaze and slowly his hand relaxed. Once again he took in her appearance. Reaching forward, he gently pulled her hand away from her face and ran his thumb over the now red area. "Rory, I am so sorry. I…I didn't mean to." His voice cracked as the realization of what he had done surged through him. "It's just that the thought of losing you…" He trailed of as he began losing control of his voice again. "I can't do it, Ror. I can't lose you, I won't let it happen."

"Dean." Again she attempted to stop back, but his hand flew to her wrist in order to hold her in place.

"No, don't say that its over." A single tear slid down his face and despite her stinging cheek she felt guilty for hurting him.

"I'm sorry."

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't be doing this." Both fell silent for a short moment as Rory had no way of answering him. "Why Jess?" Dean finally asked quietly.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. There were so many things about Jess that she didn't like or approve of, but there was no denying that he made her feel things she'd never felt before with Dean.

"Gonna fly out to California to be with him?" His hand was slowly tightening on her wrist as they talked, but his voice remained calm.

She shook her head and tried to tug her hand from his grasp. "No. He left and I'm not going to follow him across the country." Her wrist was beginning to feel the pain of his iron clad grip. "Dean, please, you're hurting me."

"You're hurting me." He shot back, his eyes boring into hers. "Just stay with me Rory, and the pain can stop. For both of us." He abruptly dropped her arm and walked toward the door and swung it open. "Just think about it Rory. I can make you happy again, I promise." He watched her walk shakily out the door and shut it gently behind her.

-----

"Favorite color?" Abby asked as she sprawled out across the couch that doubled as Jess' bed. They'd spent the past few days just hanging out with each other. Today had been spent at Jess's going over their favorite everything.

"Black." Jess answered, shoving her feet from where they had been recently placed across his lap.

With a slight giggle, Abby sat and crossed her legs Indian style as she faced Jess. "That's not a color!"

"It is to me." He turned his head to the side and felt a smile tugging at his lips. She had that effect on him. Her smile and laughing expression could wipe away his cold expression. It was easy to forget about Shane's constant phone calls when he was with her and on occasion, he could almost push Rory's memory away. Almost being the key word there. He saw the smile slowly disappear from her face as she leaned in closer to him. Hesitantly, she touched her lips to his. When he applied pressure she took the initiative to deepen the kiss. Just when her tongue touched his bottom lip the telephone let out a shrill ring that completely shattered the silence which had recently descended. Reluctantly the two pulled apart and Jess crossed the room to answer the whining phone. "Hello." He knew he sounded irritated, as he flashed Abby a look, his mind still reeling from their kiss. So much for their pact of remaining "just friends." The other end of the line was silent at first and he was about to place the phone back on the receiver, but just before he pulled it from his ear he heard a soft sniffle. "Hello?" He tried again, attempting to soften his voice a little.

"Jess?" The voice was so soft, he thought he was imagining it. His name was followed by another sniffle.

"Rory." It wasn't a question, he knew without a doubt who was on the other end of the line. The only questions were, why was she calling and more important, why was she crying. "Rory, what's wrong?" The sniffles turned into sobs as she heard the concern in his voice. "Please don't cry, Rory, just talk to me. Please." He pleaded with her and out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Turning he saw Abby gathering up her purse and shrugging into her leather jacket. "I'm sorry." He mouthed, but made no other move to stop her. She just looked at him for a long moment, before heading towards the front door. "Rory…" Jess tried again when Abby had exited.

"I'm sorry." She cried into the phone. "I shouldn't have called."

"No, don't hang up. It's fine." He told her, but the line went dead in his ear. His hand gripped the receiver tightly, before he slammed it down. Something was wrong, very wrong. He knew it took a lot to make Rory cry and it had to be monumental for her to be calling him. He'd been hoping to avoid another long bus ride for as long as possible, but things don't always go as planned.


End file.
